Unfortunately for my oldest daughter, I was pregnant with her little sister when she hit some major milestones. Learning to talk was definitely one I didn't miss, but there are things our youngest does at the same age now that I am often left trying to remember what her sister did when she was two. As much as they are the same, they are so very different; their two very different personalities never cease to amaze me. Our oldest is loud, outgoing, and never stops talking. She is extremely independent, loves everything girly- sparkles, glitter, pink... pretty much the total opposite of her mom. Although she is pretty darn stubborn; so to say the apple didn't fall far from the tree would be quite an understatement. She and I haven't always seen eye to eye (and she is only four, mind you), so I am already imagining that her teenage years are going to be slightly difficult for me. She is headstrong and wild, but so beautiful and witty. Her humor kills me nearly everyday. Our youngest, on the other hand, is relatively quiet (aside from screaming like a banshee at the cows), soft hearted, and reserved. Much like me, she prefers to hide her face in the crook of her mom's neck rather than make eye contact with another human being. And if you are a man, forget about it. She ain't talking to you unless you are handing her ice cream or a kitten (this includes her dad). Even so, she is witty too and loves to laugh, which I guess makes up for the non-stop indecisiveness and whining about things a two year old whines about.
After dealing with all of Macy's issues for a couple years now, it seems like God must have felt a little sorry for me when he made her little sister; because Ains has been the easiest darn babe ever. And because she is such a little mite, it seems like she has been my baby for a long time... so imagine how hard it was for me when she finally got a big girl bed! Like a blubbering idiot, I watched her crawl into the new bed her Grammy built for her, jump around, roll, and laugh and giggle like a crazy person. Moving her out of the crib into that great big bed was a huge step that I had been putting off for a long time. (Thankfully log beds take a long time to make). As it inched closer to bedtime, all I could imagine was my baby having none of this big-girl bed nonsense... but as soon as we read a book and I laid her down on her new sheets and blanket, she found her "baby" and literally passed out. I gave her a kiss, and with tears in my eyes and streaming down my face, I walked out of her room; realizing my baby is growing up and I can't do a damn thing about it. I can't freeze time or make it slow down.
Of course, my husband being the loving, supportive man that he is, gave me a hug and asked, "So I suppose you think you need another baby?" Ha. Hahahaha... thank God that ship has sailed. I might be dumb, by I ain't crazy! By the end of this week, I am sure I won't even remember what the girls' crib looked like; and that great big twin bed won't seem quite so large as time flies by.
I pray that even though I can't make life stop or even slow down a little, that I can just keep hanging on and enjoying this wild ride they call motherhood. It really is the toughest job you will ever love!
~Richelle